Typographical composing machine



H. H. CONNOR TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE Jan. 16, 1940.

Filed Jan. 12. 1939 Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES TYPOGRAPHICAL COIVIPOSING MACHINE Henry Harrison Connor, Chicago, 111., assignor to Mergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of New York Application January 12, 1939, Serial No. 250,463

17 Claims.

This invention relates to typographical composing machines of the general organization represented in Letters Patent of the United States to O. Mergenthaler, No. 436,532 wherein circulating matrices are released from a magazine in the order in which their characters are to appear in print, and then assembled in line, the composed line transferred to the face of a slotted mold, the mold filled with molten metal to form a slug or type bar against the matrices which produce the type characters thereon, and the matrices thereafter returned through a distributing mechanism to the magazine from which they started.

More particularly, the invention relates to that class of machine having a main magazine and an auxiliary magazine mounted in side-by-side relationship, the auxiliary magazine ordinarily containing a matrix font which differs from the matrix font stored in the main magazine.

As the matrices are released from their respective magazines, they drop through channels of an assembler entrance and fall fiatwise onto a constantly driven belt, which travels in a horizontal path beneath the channels leading from the auxiliary magazine and thence downwardly in a sloping path beneath the channels leading from the main magazine. As the direction of travel of the matrices released from the auxiliary magazine is changed from a horizontal path to the downwardly sloping path, the matrices strike against and are guided by the lower end of the left partition of the first or rightmost entrance channel leading from the main magazine, and as a result this partition has to be replaced frequently despite the fact that it is made extremely resilient. Such replacement requires considerable time on the part of the operator, and since the machine is out of use during this time, the output of the machine is correspondingly reduced.

In accordance with the present invention, the left partition of the first or rightmost entrance channel leading from the main magazine is made in'two parts, one an upper section which is relatively stiff or rigid and fixed in position, and the other a lower section which is flexible or yielding understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing that portion of the machine with which the present invention is concerned; l

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the'modified partition with the lower detachable section separated therefrom;

Fig. 4 is a side view, partly in section, of the modified partition with the lower section attached thereto; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

As shown in Fig. 1, the machine is equipped with a main magazine l and with an auxiliary magazine II, the two magazines being arranged side by side or in tandem relation. As the matrices are released from the main magazine It], they pass into an assembler entrance 9 comprising, as usual, a back plate ll, a series of main matrix guiding partitions l secured to said plate in the customary way, and a front or cover plate l6 hinged atthe top, as at lfi so that it may be swung upwardly from its operative position to give access to the interior parts. In the present instance, the assembler entrance also comprises a reversible throat section [4 (to cooperate with differently channeled magazines) having partitions [4 which register with the main partition in either position of the throat section. The assemblerentrance has an extended or auxiliary portion 9 of similar construction to receive and guide the matrices released from the auxiliary magazine ll.

After passing through the channels formed by the partitions I5, the matrices drop onto a constantly driven endless conveyor belt l2, whose upper stretch extends horizontally throughout the extent of the auxiliary portion 9 of the assembler entrance and then. slopes downwardly throughout the extent of the main portion of the entrance, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. overlying the conveyor belt l2 at the point where itchanges its direction of travel, there is a leaf spring it which serves to prevent the matrices from toppling over at that point.

As usual, the partition I8 (which constitutes the right wall of the first or rightmost entrance channel leading from the main magazine i0) is heavier than the other partitions l5 andterminates a greater distance above the conveyor belt I2, the arrangement being such, that while the partition will stand out of the path of travel of the matrices released from the auxiliary magazine (such as the matrix X in Fig. 1), it will aid in preventing them from toppling over after passing beyond the leaf spring 13. On the other hand, the adjoining entrance partition i9 (which constitutes the left wall of said first or rightmost entrance channel is arranged in the path of travel of said matrices and must not only absorb the impact of the matrices as they strike against it, but also exert the necessary guiding influence on the matrices to hold them flatwise upon the conveyor belt after their direction of travel has been suddenly changed from a horizontal to a downwardly sloping path.

Heretofore the partition I9, while made thin and flexible enough to perform its necessary functions, has been made in one piece and secured to the back plate I! in the customary way, with the result that, when it becomes necessary to replace the partition because of wear, breakage or other damage, considerable time and effort is required to eifect the replacement, all as well understood in the art.

The present invention overcomes the foregoing objection by making the partition in'two sections, one an upper fixed section l9, and the other a lower detachable matrix cooperating section 29. The upper section I9 is heavier than usual, being substantially rigid like the companion partition l8, and is held in place in the customary way, as by means of a rod 9 passing through a key 59 projecting rearwardly from the partition and seated in a slot formed in the back plate H. The lower section 20, however, is highly resilient, comprising in the present instance two thin flexible blades E l and 25 (preferably made of bronze or some other wear-resistant material), one slightly longer than the other and slightly spread apart at their lower extremities (see Fig. 5).

While the lower section 20 might be independently mounted, it is preferably attached directly to the upper section is so as thus to utilize the same means of support (the rod l9 and the key 9 for the two sections. To this end, the upper section i9 is formed at its lower end with a narrow vertical fore-and-aft slot 2!, open at the front and lower edges of the section, and with oppositely disposed semi-cylindrical fore-and-aft grooves 22 and 23 opening into the slot; while the two blades 25 and 25, constituting the lower section Zll, are formed respectively with opposed semi-cylindrical upset beads 26 and 27 to fit tightly in the grooves 22 and 23.

In attaching the parts, the blades 24 and 25 are placed in face to face contact at their upper ends with the beads 26 and 2? in register and then pushed as a unit rearwardly into the slot 2 i, the beads entering the grooves 22 and 23. Once attached, the lower section 2i} will be held securely in place, being locked against rotational movement by the engagement of that portion of the blades (what may be regarded as a shank portion) with the side walls of the narrow slot 2!, and being held against forward displacement by the friction created on the contacting surfaces by the resilience of the blades which tends to separate them. However, the cover plate 16 would be enough in itself to prevent the lower section 28 from becoming detached from the upper section l9. To remove the lower section 20, it is merely necessary to pull it forward out of the slot 2i, it being understood that, in effecting such removal of the lower section when in use, the cover plate I6 is first swung upward out of the way.

While in the present embodiment the invention has been shown as applied only to one particular partition, it is obvious that it might be applied to any other partition which is subject to wear or damage in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In or for a typographical composing machine, an assembler entrance partition comprising upper and lower sections, the lower section being detachably supported by the upper section.

In or for a typographical composing machine, an assembler entrance partition comprising an upper fixed non-resilient section, and a lower detachable resilient section.

3. In or for a typographical composing machine, an assembler entrance partition comprising an upper fixed non-resilient section, and a lower resilient section detachably supported by the upper section.

4. In or for a typographical composing machine, an assembler entrance partition comprising upper and lower sections, the lower section being removable independently of the upper section and presenting a plurality of resilient matrix guiding blades.

5. In or for a typographical composing machine, an assembler entrance partition terminating at its lower end in a plurality of resilient matrix guiding blades.

6. In or for a typographical composing machine, an assembler entrance partition comprising upper and lower sections, the lower section being supported by the upper section, and said sections being relatively formed to permit the attachment and detachment of the lower section by a relative movement of the two sections.

7. In or for a typographical composing machine, an assembler entrance partition comprising upper and lower sections, said sections being relatively formed to permit the attachment and detachment of the lower section by a fore-and-aft movement of said lower section with respect to the upper section.

8. In or for a typographical composing ma chine, an assembler entrance partition comprising an upper fixed non-resilient section formed at its lower end with a narrow vertical fore-andaft slot, open at the front and lower edges of the section, and with fore-and-aft semi-cylindrical grooves opening into the slot, and a lower resilient section presenting a shank portion fitted into said slot and a cylindrical bead fitted into said grooves, whereby the lower section may be attached to or detached from the upper section by a rearward or forward movement of the lower section with respect to the upper section.

9. An assembler entrance partition as defined in claim 8, characterized in that the lower section is constituted by a pair of thin flexible blades arranged in face to face contact at their upper end to provide the shank portion and upset to provide the cylindrical bead.

10. As a new article of manufacture, an assembler entrance partition section formed at its lower end with a narrow vertical fore-and-aft slot, open at the front and lower edges of the section, and with fore-and-aft semi-cylindrical grooves opening into said slot, substantially as shown and described.

11. As a new article of manufacture, an assembler entrance partition section formed at its upper end with a substantially cylindrical foreand-aft bead, to permit its attachment to and detachment from a companion section in its own plane.

12. As a new article of manufacture, an assembler entrance partition section comprising a pair of thin flexible blades each formed at its upper end with a semi-cylindrical upset bead, as and for the purpose described.

13. In or for a typographical composing machine equipped With a main magazine and an auxiliary magazine arranged at the side thereof, an assembler entrance to cooperate with both magazines and presenting a partition which constitutes the left wall of the first or rightmost channel leading from the main magazine and which is arranged in the path of the matrices released from the auxiliary magazine, said partition comprising upper and lower sections, the lower section being removable independently of the upper section.

14. In or for a typographical composing machine equipped with a main magazine and an auxiliary magazine arranged at the side thereof, an assembler entrance to cooperate with both magazines and presenting a partition which constitutes the left wall of the first or rightmost channel leading from the main magazine and which is arranged in the path of the matrices released from the auxiliary magazine, said partition comprising upper and lower sections, the lower section being detachably connected to the upper section.

15. In or for a typographical composing ma' chine equipped with a main magazine and an auxiliary magazine arranged at the side thereof, an assembler entrance to cooperate with both magazines and presenting a partition which constitutes the left wall of the first or right-most channel leading from the main magazine and which is arranged in the path of the matrices released from the auxiliary magazine, said partition comprising an upper fixed non-resilient section and a lower detachable resilient section.

16. In or for a typographical composing machine equipped with a main magazine and an auxiliary magazine arranged at the side thereof, an assembler entrance to cooperate with both magazines and presenting a partition which constitutes the left wall of the first or right-most channel leading from the main magazine and which is arranged in the path of the matrices released from the auxiliary magazine, said partition comprising an upper fixed non-resilient section and a lower resilient section detachably connected to the upper section.

17. In or for a typographical composing machine equipped with a main magazine and an auxiliary magazine arranged at the side thereof, an assembler entrance to cooperate with both magazines and presenting a partition which constitutes the left wall of the first or right-most channel leading from the main magazine and which is arranged in the path of the matrices released from the auxiliary magazine, said entrance partition terminating at its lower end in a plurality of resilient matrix guiding blades.

HENRY HARRISON CONNOR. 

